Absorbent articles such as diapers, training pants, incontinence garments, and the like conventionally include a liquid permeable body-facing liner, a liquid impermeable outer cover, and an absorbent core (also referred to as an absorbent body or absorbent structure) formed separate from the outer cover and liner and disposed therebetween for taking in and retaining liquid (e.g., urine) exuded by the wearer.
Absorbent articles may be designed with extensible or elastic components that improve donning, fit during wear, and removal of the article from the wearer. In some of these absorbent articles, the outer cover and/or the liner may be stretchable to permit some expansion of the article when necessary to provide a better fit on the wearer. For example, a child pulling on a pair of training pants typically pulls both upward on the pants and outward on the pants (e.g., at the waist) to widen the waist opening and pull the pants up over the buttocks and hips to the child's waist. Thus an expansion force is applied to the article to increase the dimensions thereof.
Each layer of material of the absorbent article may contribute to the expansion force required for easier donning of the article. Typically, areas of high tension exist in the article upon extension, such as where an absorbent structure is within the article. To decrease this tension and to make the article easier to don, the absorbent structure is frequently reduced in article area, thickness, or basis weight to maintain a useable tension level of the article. Absorbent articles with absorbent structures of reduced article area, thickness, or basis weight that are needed to decrease the tension have decreased performance and effectiveness. There is need, therefore, to improve the construction of the absorbent structure of the stretchable absorbent article to decrease the expansion tension and the required donning force of the article so that the absorbent article may be more easily donned, while maintaining the performance of the article.